Search Results (21)

Coastal protected landscapes are increasingly becoming subject to high and diverse recreational use, creating complex challenges for balancing visitors’ experience with ecological protection. While visitor segmentation has been widely applied in tourism research, its integration with spatially differentiated management in frequently used natural areas remains limited. This study addresses this gap by examining visitor heterogeneity in a highly visited coastal protected landscape in Norway. Using survey data combined with behavioral indicators, an exploratory factor analysis identifies three core motivational dimensions: nature experience and environmental learning, social interaction and activity, and family-oriented recreation. Building on these dimensions, a cluster analysis reveals four distinct visitor typologies ranging from low-involvement to highly engaged users. The results demonstrate that visitor segments are primarily differentiated by psychographic characteristics, while socio-demographic and behavioral variables provide limited explanatory power. Importantly, the identified typologies correspond to distinct patterns of use and experiential expectations, offering a robust basis for differentiated management strategies. The findings highlight the need to move beyond uniform management approaches towards segment-specific interventions, particularly in landscapes dominated by experienced, locally based users. By linking motivational structures to spatial and managerial implications, this study contributes to advancing visitor research and provides practical insights for managing recreational pressure in protected coastal environments. Full article

Cultured meat is increasingly considered a potential complement to conventional meat, yet the determinants of its acceptance remain unclear. This study examined whether motivations underlying conventional meat purchasing are associated with attitudes and behavioural intentions toward cultured meat among adult Polish meat eaters (n = 425). A cross-sectional online ssurvey assessed attitudes, perceived risks, general acceptance, behavioural intentions and socio-demographic characteristics. Overall attitudes and acceptance were moderately positive, while concerns related to technological risk and naturalness persisted. Four psychographic segments were identified, with cautious optimists (35.9%) and concerned ambivalents (33.3%) representing the largest groups. Associations between conventional meat-purchase motivations and attitudes toward cultured meat were statistically significant but modest, with ethical and environmental motives showing weak positive associations and sensory-oriented motives showing weak negative ones. The correspondence between segmentation based on conventional meat motivations and that based on cultured-meat orientations was limited, indicating only partial structural overlap. Younger, urban and higher-educated respondents were disproportionately represented in the more favourable segments, and prior familiarity increased the likelihood of positive attitudes. Overall, the findings indicate that motivations for purchasing conventional meat explain only a limited share of variability in cultured meat acceptance. Factors related to familiarity, perceived technological characteristics and broader psychosocial orientations appear more influential and should be explored further in future research. Full article

The purpose of this study is to reveal the characteristics of wine tourists by determining their demographic and psychographic profiles, the effects of their travel motivations and lifestyles on their attitudes towards wine tourism, and the relationships between their demographic characteristics and attitudes. Based on a quantitative approach, study data were collected using a questionnaire. The sample consists of tourists who had visited a winery or participated in the vintage in a wine destination. Wine tourists’ principal motivations were pull factors and wine-related motivations. Their attitudes towards wine consumption had higher mean values than attitudes towards info-seeking, meaning that wine tourists preferred to taste wine and shop from wineries more than learn about wine. Regarding lifestyles, they were mostly innovators and experiencers. For destinations like Türkiye, wine tourism is a significant economic and sociocultural development tool. It is the first study to identify the wine tourists’ profile based on VALS-2, thereby providing a different perspective for the literature. Full article

Background: The automotive industry is pivotal in advancing sustainability, with electric vehicles (EVs) essential for reducing emissions and promoting cleaner transport. This study examines the determinants of EV adoption intentions in Thailand, integrating demographic and psychographic factors from Environmental psychology and innovation diffusion theory; Methods: Data from a structured questionnaire, administered to 4003 respondents at gas stations with EV charging facilities across Thailand, were analyzed using a Correlated Mixed-Ordered Probit Model with Heterogeneity in Means (CMOPMHM); Results: Findings indicate that younger adults, particularly those aged 25–34 years old and 45–54 years old, are more likely to adopt EVs, whereas conventional or hybrid vehicle owners are less inclined. Rural residency or travel also hinders adoption. Individuals with strong environmental values and openness to new technologies are more likely to adopt EVs; Conclusions: The proposed model quantified the relative importance of these factors and uncovered heterogeneity in user preferences, offering reliable and valuable insights for policymakers, EV manufacturers, and researchers. The study suggests targeted policies and enhanced charging infrastructure, especially in rural areas, and recommends leveraging environmental values and trialability through communication campaigns and test drive events. These insights can guide the development of targeted incentives, infrastructure expansion, communication strategies, and trialability programs to effectively promote wider EV adoption in Thailand and similar markets. Full article

Despite forest remnants being crucial components of the urban environment, they have been insufficiently studied in terms of their economic value. This study aimed to assess the economic value of the Arboretum at the University of Brasília (UnB) in the Federal District, using the contingent valuation method (CVM) from environmental economics to facilitate effective preservation measures. Questionnaires were randomly distributed to the university population of UnB residing in the Federal District. The findings indicated a willingness among the university community to contribute to the conservation of the Arboretum. Specifically, the study estimated the economic value of the environmental asset, determined the likelihood of willingness to pay (WTP), calculated the average monthly WTP, and analyzed the respondents’ profiles to identify the factors influencing WTP. Among the psychographic, environmental, and socioeconomic variables, only the variables related to environmental segmentation were statistically significant determinants of WTP. The analysis showed that individuals with a greater understanding of ecology were more inclined to express willingness to pay for the Arboretum. Thus, the variable “EK” was identified as an important predictor of environmentally favorable behaviors. The study concluded that the Arboretum’s estimated economic value in 2020 was BRL 57,890,196.00 (with USD 1.00 = BRL 5.25), and the willingness to pay for this environmental asset was estimated at BRL 5.33 per month, consistent with values estimated for other conservation units in Brazil. This willingness to pay makes it possible to generate subsidies for the development of public policies and management strategies to improve and preserve the Arboretum. Full article

The present study aimed to explore the online shopping of medicines from demographic, geographic, psychographic, and behavioral factors. A quantitative survey design was used with a quote sample representing the Swedish population regarding age, gender, and residential area. In total, 1863 persons responded to a survey, including measures of age, gender, income, education, area of residence, personality traits (BFI-10), values (Rokeach Value Survey), self-estimated health-status, internet usage, online shopping in general, and online shopping of medicines. Firstly, the data were analyzed with chi-squares and independent t-tests. From these initial analyses, online shopping of medicines was associated with young age, female gender, high income and education, living in a big city, extraversion, several values of desirable end-states of existence (e.g., self-respect, a sense of accomplishment, and pleasure), internet usage, and general online shopping. Secondly, the significant (p < 0.05) variables from the initial analysis were included in a logistic regression analysis. This comprehensive model showed that online medication shoppers are best predicted by being female and the use of internet. Unlike what was previously known about medication shoppers, the typical online medication shopper appears to be driven by hedonistic values and self-actualization, rather than health status. We suggest that further research replicate this study outside and inside Sweden, and that health status is measured in a different way. Full article

Tax evasion is a major issue for authorities worldwide. Understanding the factors that influence individuals’ intrinsic motivation to pay taxes, known as their tax morale, is important for improving tax compliance. This study investigated gender differences in judging tax evasion in the context of cryptocurrency trading. Specifically, a survey study explored whether different moral foundations, financial literacies, and political orientations among females vs. males might explain potential gender differences in judging tax evasion. In an online survey, 243 U.S. adults read a vignette about a friend evading taxes in a cryptocurrency trading context. In a correlational analysis, we found that females judged tax evasion harsher, as being more morally wrong than males. Of the psychographic factors, only individualizing moral foundation values (i.e., fairness and harm avoidance) explained the harsher moral judgment by females. That is, individualizing moral foundation values were at a higher level among females, which further predicted females’ harsher judgment of tax evasion. While females also had, on average, lower financial literacy and knowledge of cryptocurrencies than males, these did not predict their harsher judgment of tax evasion. The findings contribute to research on gender differences in moral judgments and highlight that a given transgression, or a specific crime, may violate different moral values in men and women. The results demonstrate to policy makers that it is important to take into account gender differences, in campaigns promoting tax morale and compliance. Full article

In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to the behavior of tourists and their intention to choose a destination based on various factors. The goal of this research was to determine to what extent environmental risks and the attractiveness of the destination influence the choice of destination and the behavior of tourists. Furthermore, the goal was to determine the influence of psychological groups of tourists on their decision to choose a tourist destination using three psychographic techniques: BFI-10 (Big Five Inventories), AIO (Activities, Interests, and Opinions), and VALS 2 (Values and Lifestyle), and a freely determined six-level scale of risk and tourist attractiveness of imagined destinations. Analyzing the results obtained through the structural modeling-path analysis model, it was determined that tourists grouped in almost all psychographic orientations, resulting from lifestyles, negatively perceive destinations with a high degree of risk and attractiveness, while, with the VALS 2 technique, only members of the action orientation tend to accept ecologically risky destinations. Despite the fact that many studies have looked at how tourists perceive various risks and behave, it is still uncommon to use an integrated approach that considers the simultaneous application of several psychological tests and a unique method of gathering responses from travelers by presenting them with descriptively imagined destinations that differ in their levels of environmental risk and tourist appeal. As a result, this study can provide a conceptual framework for theoretical and practical implications for improved risk management strategies in a specific travel destination and in areas vulnerable to environmental hazards, as well as for completing knowledge about traveler behavior in risky destinations. Full article

A display window or store window is the shop’s window that is designed to display items for sale to attract the customers to the stores. Window dressing that depends on visual merchandising is done to make a better impression and implies something dishonest. Knowing the customer from inside and outside through demographic data like ages, psychographics, lifestyles, and behaviors is the main factor that must be kept in display window designer’s mind. The designer takes display colors, light, and signage in consideration. In the presented paper, factors of designing display windows that affect increasing customer attraction and buying rate are studied. An analysis of this variable is established to select which of them have good effects. Optimizing customers’ attraction and buying rate values is carried out by controlling the selected affected variables through a designed and implemented fuzzy logic control system as an artificial intelligence tool. The fuzzy system, used for optimizing the number of viewers for stores’ display windows by controlling the affected factors, is a new approach used in the display window design field. Full article

E-commerce system has become more popular and implemented in almost all business areas. E-commerce system is a platform for marketing and promoting the products to customer through online. Customer segmentation is known as a process of dividing the customers into groups which shares similar characteristics. The purpose of customer segmentation is to determine how to deal with customers in each category in order to increase the profit of each customer to the business. Segmenting the customers assist business to identify their profitable customer to satisfy their needs by optimizing the services and products. Therefore, customer segmentation helps E-commerce system to promote the right product to the right customer with the intention to increase profits. There are few types of customer segmentation factors which are demographic psychographic, behavioral, and geographic. In this study, customer behavioral factor has been focused. Therefore users will be analyzed using clustering algorithm in determining the purchase behavior of E-commerce system. The aim of clustering is to optimize the experimental similarity within the cluster and to maximize the dissimilarity in between clusters. In this study there are relationship between three clusters: event type, products, and categories. In this research, the proposed approach analyzed the groups that share similar criteria to help vendors to identify and focus on the high profitable segment to the least profitable segment. This type of analysis can play important role in improving the business. Grouping their customer according to their similar behavioral factor to sustain their customer for long-term and increase their business profit. It also enables high exposure of the e-offer to gain attention of potential customers. In order to process the collected data and segment the customers, an learning algorithm is used which is known as K-Means clustering. K-Means clustering is implemented to solve the clustering problems. Full article

Social and mass media platforms (SMM) are essential tools for keeping people informed about health-promoting practices. However, the potential to spread misinformation or false rumors exists. These might influence preventive health behaviours and incite anxiety and/or fear among the population. A sample of 300 adults participated in a survey to understand information needs, fears and preventive health behaviours related to COVID-19 while analyzing differences in COVID-19 acceptance rates. Descriptive-correlational, between-group comparisons and regression analyses were applied. Most of the sample revealed a willingness to accept COVID-19 vaccines (65.4% vs. 34.5%) and was prone to use and trust different SMM without experiencing significant obstacles in managing COVID-19-related information except for the need to ration it from time to time (χ²(2, N = 298) = 6.654, p = 0.036). Preventive behaviours/measures carried out were similar among the people resistant, hesitant or willing to get vaccinated for COVID-19. However, higher self-efficacy was observed in resistant vaccine individuals (F₍₂₎ = 3.163, p = 0.044). Psychological impact (need for psychological support due to COVID-19 situation) in accepting (F_(5, 189) = 17.539, p < 0.001, R² = 0.317) and hesitant individuals (F_(5, 77) = 17.080, p < 0.001, R² = 0.526) was explained by female gender, younger age, threat susceptibility and differential characteristics in terms of psychological symptoms experienced and SMM trust. No explanatory model was obtained for the resistant individuals. SMM could be effective tools to promote COVID-19 health preventive behaviours. However, psychographic characteristics might modulate information-seeking and management as well as self-perceived threat susceptibility and severity. All these factors must be accurately considered when designing different health preventive campaigns for the general public. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic has led many countries to implement restrictions on individual freedom to stop the contagion. The imposition of lockdowns has affected many socio-economic aspects and, in particular, eating habits, highlighting the need to analyse the healthiness of new consumption patterns. The aim of our study was to investigate the changes in adherence to the Mediterranean diet, a dietary model universally recognized as healthy, that have occurred both during and since the lockdown. The subsequent profiling of consumers allowed us to understand which sociodemographic and psychographic factors favoured the development of more or less adherence to Mediterranean diet consumption patterns. The study was conducted by administering a questionnaire to a representative sample of Italians and New Yorkers. Both groups, defined by deep socio-economic differences and by their own eating habits compared to the Mediterranean diet model, were affected by similar lockdown measures. The data collected were processed by cluster analysis that allowed to identify four homogeneous groups with respect to the adherence to the Mediterranean diet model. The results highlight a worrying situation with respect to the impacts of the pandemic on maintaining a proper dietary style according to the principles of the Mediterranean diet. In fact, there has been a general worsening trend due to an increase in consumption, in part linked to emotional eating, which is a cause for concern about the potential future impacts on the health of consumers. The study highlights the need, therefore, to implement actions by public decision-makers aimed at raising the awareness of citizens on the issue of correct eating habits and at developing adequate food policies to stem the trend towards unhealthy diets. Full article

Tumor genomic profiling (TGP) is used in oncology practice to optimize cancer treatment and improve survival rates. However, TGP is underutilized among Black and African American (AA) patients, creating potential disparities in cancer treatment outcomes. Cost, accuracy, and privacy are barriers to genetic testing, but medical mistrust (MM) may also influence how Black and AA cancer patients perceive TGP. From December 2019 to February 2020, 112 Black and AA adults from two outpatient oncology sites in Philadelphia, PA without a known history of having TGP testing conducted completed a cross-sectional survey. Items queried included sociodemographic characteristics, clinical factors, patient–oncologist relationship quality, medical mistrust, and concerns about TGP. A k-means cluster analysis revealed two distinct psychographic clusters: high (MM-H) versus low (MM-L) medical mistrust. Clusters were not associated with any sociodemographic or clinical factors, except for age (MM-H patients older than MM-L patients, p = 0.006). Eleven TGP concerns were assessed; MM-H patients expressed greater concerns than MM-L patients, including distrust of the government, insurance carriers, and pharmaceutical companies. TGP concerns varied significantly based on level of medical mistrust, irrespective of sociodemographic characteristics. Targeted communications addressing TGP concerns may mitigate disparities in TGP uptake among those with medical mistrust. Full article

Cultured meat, as a product of recent advancement in food technology, might become a viable alternative source of protein to traditional meat. As such, cultured meat production is disruptive as it has the potential to change the demand for traditional meats. Moreover, it has been claimed it can be more sustainable regarding the environment and that it is, perhaps, a solution to animal welfare issues. This study aimed at investigating associations between the consumer groups and demographic and psychographic factors as well as identifying distinct consumer groups based on their current willingness to engage with cultured meat. Four European countries were studied: the Netherlands (NL), the United Kingdom (UK), France (FR) and Spain (ES). A sample of 1291 responses from all four countries was collected between February 2017 and March 2019. Cluster analysis was used, resulting in three groups in the NL and UK, and two groups in FR and ES. The results suggest that Dutch consumers are the most willing to engage with cultured meat. Food neophobia and food technology neophobia seem to distinguish the groups the clearest. Moreover, there is some evidence that food cultural differences among the four countries seem to be also influencing consumers’ decision. Full article

Superfoods, former traditional foods that in some cases are now regarded as new healthy luxury food products (NHLFP), have been growing in popularity in high- and middle-income societies. Despite a growing interest in superfoods, a precise definition of NHLFP, which appears to mark a subcategory of superfoods, together with a comprehensive analysis of NHLFP consumer segments does not yet exist. This is of particular relevance to managers as profound knowledge of different consumer groups is a prerequisite for the use of marketing approaches such as social media marketing. Therefore, this research proposes and validates an NHLFP definition and investigates whether promising NHLFP consumer groups can be identified based on selected psychographic and sociodemographic consumer characteristics and whether these groups are also accessible through social media marketing. A data set of 697 fruit consumers in Germany was retrieved in the time period of May to June 2020 and analyzed through exploratory factor analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis. Eleven factors and four consumer groups were identified, two of which represented favorable superfood consumer groups—one group consumed for intrinsic, health-related reasons rather than for luxury-driven motives, while the other showed tendencies to purchase superfoods for luxury reasons, thus emerging as a promising NHLFP target group. This group is relatively younger, well-educated, and highly receptive of online marketing. Full article